The Canadian Gemmological Association (CGA) announces the extension of the deadline to submit your design entries.
New Deadline – Friday, July 31, 2026.
Students can now submit their designs by Friday, July 31, 2026, 11:59 pm EST. “We can’t wait to see your entries.”
All competitors can enter their submissions at www.canadiangemmological.com
6 CGA Emerging Artist Design Competition Prizes include: include:
1st Place: $ 1000 CAD
2ndPlace: $ 500 CAD
3rd Place: $ 250 CAD
“We are pleased to extend the competition deadline to give participants additional time to refine their entries and showcase their creativity. We encourage everyone who has been considering entering to take advantage of this opportunity, and we look forward to seeing the outstanding designs submitted by our talented community.” – Donna Hawrelko, President of the CGA.
Winners will be announced later this year and the prize money will be awarded at that time.
The CGA Emerging Artist Design Competition is the only one of its kind in Canada, giving students global recognition for their work and honouring excellence in jewellery design.
baguette natural diamond (1.7mm x 7.25mm)
Photo by Paul Ambtman (Digital by Design)
Farah Kathrada
FIRST PLACE
A recent graduate of George Brown College, Toronto, ON, placed first in our Seventh Jewellery Design Contest. Her winning design was a ring entitled “Glitch Ring”.
Find out more below
Emerging Artist Design Competition
2026 marks the 8th annual Canadian Gemmological Association (CGA) Emerging Artist Design Competition.
This competition is open to all students currently enrolled in a Canadian post-secondary jewellery design or metalsmithing program, and new grads who have graduated from these programs in 2025 or will graduate in 2026.
INFORMATION AND DESCRIPTION
Each submission must include the following information:
▻ Name of artist
▻ Phone number
▻ Address
▻ Email
▻ Name of piece
▻ Type of jewellery or ornamentation
▻ School attending or graduated from
▻ Estimated replacement value
▻ Materials used, including:
▻ Metal(s) type, karat
▻ Stone(s) type, size/carat weight, shape
▻ Other material(s)
▻ Bead(s) quantity, type, size
- Description, limited to 1000 characters maximum (including spaces and punctuation) or less, including:
▻ Concept/design development
▻ Techniques used
▻ Steps taken to complete the piece (cast, fabricated, forged, assembled, etc.)
▻ Inspiration behind the piece
SUBMISSIONS MUST
▻ Each piece must include at least one natural or synthetic gemstone (rough or faceted)
▻ Include one high-resolution photograph: 300-dpi JPEG or PDF; 10-megabyte (MB) maximum
▻ Include the name and description of the piece (limited to 1000 characters which includes spaces and
punctuation)
▻ NOT contain any material from animals or plants that are listed in Schedule 1 of Canada’s Wild Animal and
Plant Trade Regulations which upholds CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora). This includes but is not limited to ivory.
▻ Include at least one photo of your finished piece.
Entries will be judged on:
▻ Successful incorporation of materials
▻ Innovation and originality
▻ Wearability (except for hollowware entries)
▻ Quality of workmanship, and finishing
The CGA Emerging Artist Design Competition winners will receive:
First place $1000
Second place $500
Third place $250
How to apply
This competition is open to all students currently enrolled in a Canadian post-secondary jewellery design or metalsmithing program, and new grads who have graduated from these programs in 2025 or will graduate in 2026.
One application enables you to submit one finished piece of work. Only one application is allowed per artist. Images must be in JPEG format, 300 dpi and approximately 4×6 inches (1200×1800 pixels) in size. Images not meeting these standards will not be reviewed and will be disqualified from entry. Images submitted are understood to be the property of the artist with the right for the CGA to use them for unlimited publication.
All photography credits (when applicable) must be submitted with the application. Artists participating in the competition agree and accept that all images submitted to the competition may be used by the CGA for other promotional purposes, including publication in any media, printed or online, including books about the CGA.
Pieces submitted cannot have been made prior to June 30, 2025, and not have won any awards in any other competitions prior to June 30, 2025.
Email submission to info@canadiangemmological.com Finalists will be notified within 90 days of the submission deadline. The finalists will be asked to ship the finished pieces to CGA for the final in-person judging.
Submission Deadline Deadline July 31, 2026 @ 11:59 pm EST – NEW DEADLINE
Email submission to info@canadiangemmological.com
